Since 1989, VISIONS has set the standard for community service summer programs for teens. Build schools and homes, help children and elders. Live with other teens in a neighborhood of our host community; be more than a tourist.
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Comments about Community Service Worldwide: VISIONS Service Adventures

This is a great program for anyone who is looking to have a life-changing summer in a positive way. The staff foster a positive-energy filled environment, and everyone is always happy to be there. The service work is also great, you really feel like you are impacting the community in a positive way. I would highly recommend this program for any teen looking to have an amazing time, as well as do some good for a community.

I had such a good time on my Visions trip to the Dominican Republic. We did so much with the community which was good for improving spanish and we also became really good friends with the locals. I know I'll remember this trip forever and I would definitely do another trip with Visions!

I had an incredible experience with VISIONS over the summer. I went to a small region of France called Guadeloupe, and lived with 23 other teens for a month. We all got to know each other really well, and I made long-lasting friends. The time we had I think can be called "life changing." We got a chance to fix up schools for the local french kids, and we taught english classes to them. It is so amazing that feeling you get when you know you've changed a person't life, or helped... (more »)

Summer 2014 was truly an unforgettable one. I traveled to Peru for 4 weeks, nervous at first about being so far from home, but quickly I felt welcomed by the warm staff and friendly community members. The trip was community service, and our group built a school bathroom and 13 canals over the course of 3 and a half weeks. The trip was also a cultural experience, where I learned the native language and also tried so many new foods. The trip was unforgettable and I made so many friends. I would hi... (more »)

VISIONS is a fun, easy way to enjoy your summer while impacting the world around you. This summer I attended the Cambodian program and am so glad I did. It was truly amazing to be incorportated into the Cambodian lifestyle and culture. The people are happy, generous, and greedy for knowledge. While, teaching summer school classes at a school in our hometown Battambang I discovered first hand just how smart and willing to learn the children are. Working projects may be scary at first bu... (more »)

The summer that I went on a VISIONS service trip to the Dominican Republic was truly unforgettable (August 2006). It was a turning point for me in my life that helped me decide to study Spanish, as well as Global Studies in college. The community work we did there, the amazing locals who made us feel so welcome, and the great VISIONS staff all made for one of the best summers I've ever had.
We worked hard during the week, building a school alongside the sweetest local kids and teens, (who ... (more »)

VISIONS was an amazing experience for me. I went August 2012 to Nicaragua for 3 weeks. I still think about how much fun and how awesome it was. It is a program any teen can enjoy. Just about everything about it was great. Meet great people both native to Nicaragua, and people like me from different States and countries. Got to see and exprience cool sights and differnt fun activities. There so much that was good. Also got to help the community. What we did was help to build a foundation for a ho... (more »)

I really enjoyed VISIONS Montana! I met so many nice kids, and I was able to really connect with everyone. I am not always the kid who gets along very well with everyone, but this was a fun experience and I learned a lot.

I spent this past summer in Montana, on the Blackfeet Native American Reservation right by Glacier National Park. To say it was beautiful, both physically and spiritually, would be misleading - there are no words for how absolutely stunning every moment was. It was eye-opening. It's an experience I'll always look back on with fondness. It definitely changed me inside and out.

I love VISIONS so much! I did three summers with them in Peru, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. VISIONS has helped me grow as a person each summer and I have made some of my closest friends on my trips. The communities that you stay in are so welcoming and the leaders are fantastic. The projects that I participated in, like building bathrooms and teaching adults english, were both rewarding and fun to do. VISIONS has played a huge role in my life and I will always cherish the memories of my time spent ... (more »)

Visions BVI was one of the best experiences of my life, hands down. I thought it was amazing getting to know all the kids and making new friends. Also the leaders were great, and you got to know them as well. The beaches literally like something you would see on a post card, and you have the entire beach to your self most of the time. The fruit is the freshest and best tasting fruit you can get.

Visions is an amazing organization different from all others. During my two summers with Visions, in Peru, and in the DR, my language skills soared, I met an incredible and diverse group of people, and I made a difference in the communities I was living in. I became a part of the culture in Milloncito and in Urubamba; I was not simply watching from afar.

VISIONS is an incredible organization that actually makes a difference. My two summers with them, volunteering on a Native American reservation in Montana and in Peru, were the most enriching experiences of my life. I have made lifelong friends and lived in some of the most welcoming, spiritual, and downright incredible communities in the world. VISIONS is simply amazing.

Reviews of Community Service Worldwide: VISIONS Service Adventures

It was the day I was leaving for Peru on a three week service trip. I was not nervous about living in another country or about not having any western... Read full article »

Information about Community Service Worldwide: VISIONS Service Adventures

With VISIONS, you live in the heart of the community and work shoulder-to-shoulder with local hosts. You know the people whose lives you impact, and are part of a summer program that quickly surpasses the superficial.

Teens return home from VISIONS programs with appreciation for our multicultural world and prepared to participate as global citizens. We rely on teamwork. We live, work, explore and play together. Together, we live simply and share in a transforming summer experience.

VISIONS projects are ambitious, gratifying and fun. Students spend about 50% of the time on projects, working until mid-afternoon on weekdays. Once a week you will be on "homebase", making breakfast and shopping at local markets for the group’s next meals.

Every program undertakes a central construction project. We do construction because it is a pressing need in our communities and because it teaches valuable things: problem-solving, resilience, teamwork and confidence. Programs also include non-construction service such as internships, camps for children and environmental work.

You choose your worksite each day and learn from professionals. Local organizations determine projects with confidence in our high standards and in teen volunteers’ capabilities.

Upon successful completion of the teen summer program, students receive a Certificate of Service detailing the projects and the hours of service.

Cultural & Language Immersion
To be an effective member of your own community, participate in community life wherever you go. We can only truly understand others by sharing in their lives and listening to their perspectives, perspectives that may differ dramatically from our own. You may be surprised what you have in common with people whose lives are so different. Service, without expecting recognition or reward, brings a deeper understanding of the human community and of oneself.

Cultural learning and friendship is a core focus.Working with your local hosts is a doorway to their lives. You share work sites, meals and down time with folks who become close friends.

People welcome you, sharing their lives and views of life. You learn about, do and see things you never imagined.

In Spanish- and French-language immersion programs, local people do not speak English. The incentive to use your language is the desire to communicate with local friends and their desire to know you.

Exploration, Travel & Adventure
VISIONS summer programs include fun, adventure and weekend travel. Rather than a teen tour with non-stop travel focus, you live as part of the community and are immersed in daily life. Just as we work hard, we play hard and make time for activities and taking in our surroundings. VISIONS sites offer a variety of scenery and history, and you will explore in ways that are engaging and purely fun.

Weekends are for travel and visiting the not-to-miss sites in the country or region. You also have time after work days for activities that include workshops with artists, hikes, swimming, exploring town, games with neighbors, visiting markets and ancient ruins, and taking part in local events. Depending on your program location, recreation may include rock or ice climbing, sailing, backpacking and hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, horseback riding, and much more. Although there are tour days, you often do things that tourists never experience and go places with local people who become close friends.